BRUSSLES : A Belgian judge presiding over a legal dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca over a shortfall of Covid-19 vaccine doses to Europe said Friday she will give her ruling within a month.
She set the deadline in a short hearing in her Brussels court held to ask technical questions of both sides.
The European Commission, acting on behalf of the EU’s 27 member states, is suing the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant for failing to deliver millions of vaccine doses it had promised this year in a contract with Brussels.
But AstraZeneca has argued it is only compelled to make “best reasonable efforts” to meet deliveries. The firm’s CEO Pascal Soriot has said production was prioritized for Britain, as the vaccine was developed at Oxford University.
Under the contract with the EU, AstraZeneca had pledged to deliver 300 million doses by the end of June. But it subsequently reduced delivery forecasts to 120 million, citing production problems.
The company delivered 30 million doses in the first quarter. According to figures from an EU official with knowledge of deliveries, AstraZeneca is on track to supply 70 million doses in the second quarter — falling 20 million doses short of even the reduced schedule.
The EU has called on the Belgian court to fine AstraZeneca 10 euros per dose and per day if those 20 million doses are not provided on time.
Brussels had originally counted on AstraZeneca’s vaccine to be its workhorse jab for the first part of this year. But because of the delivery problems it has turned more to the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, which now accounts for more than 70 percent of EU supplies.
An AstraZeneca spokesman told AFP on Friday that it has already submitted to the Belgian court evidence that it had informed the European Commission last year during contract negotiations that Britain would have priority on vaccines produced there.
Belgium court to rule on EU-AstraZeneca dispute within a month
https://arab.news/ja75z
Belgium court to rule on EU-AstraZeneca dispute within a month
- EU is suing Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant for failing to deliver millions of vaccine doses it had promised this year
- Firm's CEO said production was prioritised for Britain, as the vaccine was developed at Oxford University.
Romanian president to attend Washington ‘Board of Peace’ meeting as observer
- The board is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington
- Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join
BUCHAREST: Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is the chairman.
The board, originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington.
Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join, which lead to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council.
“Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Romanian president told reporters that Romania is interested in taking part in the Washington talks as the country “has traditional relations with both Israel and the Arab countries in the region,” adding that “the situation in Gaza is important for Europe.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join, while others like Romania have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed.
